National Republican., 1887-08-30
NORTH CAROLINA MOUNTAINS.
Beautiful Scenery, Braoing Air, and
Comforts worm travelling For.


! was thinking where might 'likeiest find
truce to my restless thoughts and tert dn
the irks, me hours" l saw In the Charles
ton Neps and Courier description Of the
Mountain Park Hotel-high up among
the mountains Of North Caro-
lina-a description so fascinating In
its suggestions OF rippling mountain streams
and swaying pine forests, that | exclaimed,
"That's the place for mel' hurrediy
glanced at the thermometer to make sure
1t was really 1919, snatched up few Of the
hegs Of gold that newspaper people always
have lying round their rooms, galloped my
hlooded horse down to the b. & z. depot
and boarded the $3.50 p. m. train.
oh how hot II was / looked around
at those terrible Pullman chairs, covered
with white linen, stuffed with adamantine
rock, all made impartially the same size 30
that giants and dwarfs can fare alike, and
looking for all the world like the rows OF
headstones In Arlington cemetery. | knew
that belonging as | do TO the dwarf
epecies) couldn't rest my feet. | looked at
the windows. 1rrevocably shut. 1t all seemed
so hopeless that l sneaked out and sat
down amid the Jeffersoniau simplicity OF u
forward car. Well, 1t wasn't Jefrersonian,
II was Tartarean. However, at Charlottes.
vile we changed cars, aud from Lynchburg
to Bristol 1t was cool and delightful, but
through Tennessee the heat became in
supportable, ard every man Immediately
took off his coat. Before we had gone ten
miles there wasn't coat to be seen III all
East Tennessee. The common men wore
one sufpender and the gentlemen two. 1
felt sorry that ladies had not the privilege
which the men seemed TO monopollze, for
my pongee grew almost unbearable. We
had to stay three hours at Morristown, a
place which has been built since the war,
and in which became interested through
the sprightly conversation Of Mr.. Taylor,
the landlord of the hotel where
we stopped. He was so enthusI-
astic about the prosperity Of East Ten.
netsee, and It's projected railroad through
Cumberland Gap, which would open com .
munication with the great coal fields Of
Kentucky, and so deslrous that northern
men should visit there and see for them
| selves the advantages offered to northern
| immigrants-cheap land, fine climate, pure
water, and country filled with mineral
wealth, both Of land and water.
1t is. indeed, q most beautiful region, aud
the ride from Morristown through the Blue
Ridge was enchanting. The road runs i'm
mediately along the bank OF the French
Broad river, whose waters were high and as
red as tomato Juice. 1t Is a wonderful
river, having Its rise among the mountains
near Asbeville and flowing down to join the
waters OF the west. During course OF
| forty miles-from Asheville past the Hot
Springs-it has a fall Of 200 hundred feet;
go you may judge OF the rapid
ity Of its current, from which
| It takes its Indian name "Agiqua," or
"RaciDg Waters" the name French Broad
having been given It by the first surveyors
| OF the country In honor OF Mr.. French, one
OF their party. don't know why 1t was
called "Broad," for 1t isn't broad-only
| about $50 or 200 feet across In some places.
| There are no fish In 1t, and 1t never becomes
| navigable. Its course is so winding that
| you cross it-or rather 1t crosses you
eleven times In four miles.
| AS we came up the railroad, crossing the
Tennessee line, the scene was one Of con.
tinual delight. At every turn OF the road
new beauty Of outline and shading was
presented to us. On the opposite side OF
the river, the bank formed a pallsade like
the Hudson, and when / looked at those
gigantic grey walls, rising as high
as $50 feet In perfectly perpen-
dlcular line, gave up the idea OF "trip.
ping up the mountain side" which l had
Formed, and concluded that all the "trip.
ping" was likely to do would be to trip ut
and fall down. At Paint Rock the gray
stone became beautiful combination OF
vermillion and yellow, the colorlng being sc
| lively that the natives imagine the Indian:
must have painted 1t with some kind of in
dellible paint in prehistoric times. Dom
be alarmed at that word 'pre.historic.'
i is properly put, "Pre.historic" In Norti
in the days of the Palatines. Perhaps yo,
don't know that North Carolina was once
palatinate7 (Imagine the governor o
South Carolina prefixing his usual question
to the governor of North Carolina witt
"County Palstine pD Well, 1t was a
palatinate, and had an hereditary nobil
fly, and no one was allowed to be any
thing but mere passenger In the ship o
state unless he owned lands and held
title. But that all passed away when thu
first declaration of independence ever mad,
in this country was written at Meek
lenburg. But / use the word "native'
with some hesitation, for l have neve
found out exactly what "native'
Is. Everybody speaks of everybody els,
as "a native" never for moment appear
ing TO admit that he is one. But whateve
the "natives'' say seems to be received
without grain Of salt, go concede the
ipdellible paint.
We reached the Hot Springs just at sun
set, and the glorious colorlng OF clouds
mountains, and river took away my breath
If an artist could have transferred 1t t,
canvas he would have been accused
ing Of crimson, blue, and gold seemet
almost impossible. l won't attemp
to describe the masses of gray clouds bril-
II ntly edged with gold and flushed will
every shade, from crimson to pink; for 4
colors couldn't do it, know ink can't
The Mountain Park Hotel Is built on
plateau of about 100 acres, entirely sur
rounded by mountains,
"That like giants stand
| To sentinel enchanted land"
and with Its towers and pointed roof look
quite unlike the usual southern hotel.
Is quite unlike that dilapldated structure Il
more important ways also. To say that
10 the best kept hotel In the south Is no
saying much, but to say that 1t equals tn
best hotels anywhere Is saying good deal
But 1t is so. Everything about the building
cooking Is not the familiar bacon greas
and salaratus bread, and the walters are AZ
complished servants, who, though they ar
as black as II Day 81 Martin had manufac
tured them, are trained TO business an
understand it. These same walters ar
quite feature In the establishment, addin
greatly to the amusement OF the guests b
impromptu concerts at their quarters
their voices aided by bones and banjo
They also have base ball club-their uni
forms having been furnished by. the gentle
men of the hotel, who act as umpires, an
everybody goes out to see the game.
The Hot Springs themselves are devillsh-
excuse me, Mr.. Editor, but l mean the
are very hot-104o, and one spring is ll7'
There are sixteen marble bath room:
luxuriously provided, and a swimmin
pool hundred feet long, and people com
from all parts of the country to get ri
OF rhematism and kindrid ills. / haven
got any ills, and II had 1t would be NJ
and tuck between them and that hot water
, There is something SO diabolical an
creepy in seeing such seethlng stuff CON
ing out OF the ground that always fet
there must be volcano underneath whic
may do something unexpected, and
would be Just my luck to be caugt
In an eruption. Therefore, haven't d,
scended into the pools, but cautiously sir